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Dear Theo - Workplace Bullying is a big problem in schools

My view is that its a much bigger problem than senior people like to admit and can be extremely damaging to everyone who works in a bullying environment.
I'd like to hear your views on the subject possibly with a perspective slanted towards the differences between state and independent sectors.
I am looking for honest perspective, not silly games please.

Its a simple question, like i said, I am looking for an honest perspective.
My agenda is to raise awarness of what i think is a major problem in some schools. I had a quick scan of some of the posts here and bullying is mentioned by others as being a concern.

Karvol - you are entitled to your opinion and to suggest both my contribution is unhelpful and not required. You also suggest that mine is bullying behaviour - again you are free to suggest that. It is/was not.
Without reference to these forums, in workplace bullying situations it is normal for a serial bully to convince sychophants to believe that the bully is being targetted by the real target and in doing so, looks and recieves pity while the real target is isolated. This scenario is typical in the workplace and why it is important to warn targets to not to 'show their cards' when they realise what is happenning, otherwise they will be victimised. In real life, the bully will normally have rank and the ability to provide favour and instill fear amongs the staff as required to set the agenda.
In my view, your suggestion that i am 'spouting an agenda reminiscent of late Soviet era propaganda at its most flamboyant.' is actually the antithesis of the truth or have i misunderstood your meaning.
I do not, as you suggest, post on inappropriate threads and your suggested difficulty in avoiding my posts is somewhat overstated.

Finally yourThe irony of the situation, of which I doubt you are aware, is that
what you are doing can be construed as bullying. Giving unsolicited
comments under the cloak of anonymity, accusing people of something
that they are not guilty of - all are the marks of a bully.

made me smile -- You are on here presumably with one useraccount and one identity. You don't agree with what i am doing and you are saying - you are not hiding your forum identity -- That is how i work and is what i expect from others. Are we not all equally anonomyous here ?

Importantly, re the irony, what you seem to have missed is that i was the target of the cyber-bullying and i chose to respond in a very measured and appropriate way after doing my homework. It is that resoponse that you are suggesting is bullying behaviour on my part. You are wrong in your assumption but that is understandible.
Finally - Workplace bullying is a subject that workplace bullies would rather not have discussed. I'd suggest respectfully that you spend some time looking at the reality and campaign for change for the better rather than doing what you can to conceal the problem that is workplace bullying.

As has been requested on numerous occasions by others as well as myself - put up or shut up.
You harp on and on about workplace bullying but give no concrete evidence.
If your normal behaviour in a workplace environment is anything similar to your behaviour on forums, then it really is no surprise that you were perhaps the victim of a so called bullying incident. Despite your denials to the contrary, such zeal in pursuing such a topic can only come from some personal experience. One would suggest it wasn't bullying but exasperation at your complete insenstivity to your actions.
Anyway I have wasted enough time on your paranoid delusional fantasies, so this will be my last post on the matter.
Good night and all the best to you. Let us know when the men in white coats finally take you for a midnight drive to the local "hotel" with padded rooms.

a19pb - I have always appreciated your concern (and a very real one) about bullying. I don't believe that anyone in the independent sector can be too complacent about this issue. It is a cut-throat market out there right now, and I know only too well about the back-stabbing, tale-telling, treacherous behaviour that some teachers and SMT are prepared to sink to. If those "unbelievers" out there had experienced the treatment I did at the hands of lazy, incompetent, dishonest colleagues, jealous of my successes and popularity with pupils, they would indeed change their minds.

Its important to get people understanding how bullying operates and to understand that good and competent people are most at risk. THe serial bully sinks on the previous post are certainly worth a look.

I would like to agree with you- I have experienced several instances of bullying in independent schools in the UK. What I do not understand is why this continues to go on and no-one seems to address it. I am shocked too at how issues of bullying are dealt with in schools. When you experience bullying in the work place, it takes a lot out of you and can take a long time to rectify.
I would also like to add, that this forum attracts a fair share of bullies- I do not usually comment on here because I have found some of the responses by 'so called professionals' to be extremely rude and of a very defensive nature.

I think ity's important to note that bullyng goes on across both state and independent sectors. Often it can be isolated individuals, but in certain circumstances there can be an ingrained culture of what those in charge will call 'robust management'. Having been on the receiving end of this in a state school, I know full well the state in which it can leave you. At the time I was in my second year of teaching and the long hours were putting a severe strain on my relationship. My HoD consistently belittled the schemes of work I wrote and offered little concrete advice as to how to improve them. I was told that working until nearly midnight every night was 'normal' and that my partner was 'holding me to ransom'. My lessons were observed without warning and disparaging comments made in front of the students about the lesson content. When I spoke to SMT, my HoD threw a crying fit in the Head's office. In the end, it came down to the fact that she'd been there for 15 years and could twist SMT round her little finger. In the end, my Union rep advised me to get out asap, since he feared the next stage might be competancy proceedings. So I resigned. Ironically, the school was more than willing to employ me as a supply teacher!

It would be good if Theo could provide his perspective on the
importance if this workplace bullying issue and what he has done to
counter it.
One aspects to discuss might be - Making sure that
the correct people are promoted to the management positions ? Does he
agree that all people making employment decisions should be aware of
how people with eithe Narcissistic or Antisocial Personality Disorders
acn decieve interview panels ? These peopele can present as outstanding
, capable and charming candidates who are prepared to make the
difficult decisions. If successful at intervew and once in post, all
can seem well but after a short period where they assess their new
staff they then atart to manipulate and control all arounf them. The
good people who they percieve as a threat are often damaged while the
weaker staff are favoured.
How about it - am i talking rubbish?

I am now going through my third experience of bullying in education. I was bullied on placement during training by the PT I was with; again during probation by my PT, two colleagues who were her pets and the rector; and now it is happening again. I came to education later in life after a full, varied and highly professional working life. Never have I ever encountered bullying to the insidious depth or level as I have experienced in education. I'm convinced the kids, observant as they are, see it happening among the adults and reckon 'if they can, I can.' During the first bullying my school mentor defended me and stood firmly beside me. The second incident came on the heels of a traumatic personal experience and got so bad my GP said, 'I'm sending you home and you will not go back to that school until I send you.' I was off for six weeks. Now, I have my union involved and it is ongoing, as I have falsely been accused of incompetence by two people who are totally incompetent themselves. Sound familiar? I'd like to see these guys do what I used to do ... be at my desk at 0730 and still be there at 0230 the following morning for days on end when a software released was on the cards. They wouldn't last five seconds.

Bully most certainly does exist, both in the state and independent sector. I have only ever once been subject to this, and it was in an independent school.
I think it is very valuable to raise awareness. No one HAS TO read the threads here - perhaps those few who see it as some sort of nuisance shouldn't bother reading things that they're not interested in. Trolling comes to mind.
I have come across staff in schools who believe that bullying victims bring it on themselves, as they have a victim mentality and need to toughen up. While there are still people like that in teaching, then awareness raising has its place IMHO.

The suggestion that some believe that bullying victims bring it on themselves is an important aspect to understand. Workplace bullies will encourage this mindset in others who in turn can convince targets of bullying that they should blame themselves for the abuse they suffer. - The parallels to domestic abuse are obvious when people take a step back and consider the roles of abuser, bystander and abused. The bystanders by default, side with the abuser often due to their ignorance of the reality -- Were they more aware of the psychology, then they might choose to side with and support the target.
What i am trying to do on these forums is to raise awarness of how workplace bullying works. It is dissapointing that people with positions of responsibility on the forums do not do more to put the message over.

This is an important issue which has yet to be addressed Peter. Why
are you even asking the question? If you're feeling pity then i'd
suggest that you take some time to understand how pity can be used to
manipulate presumably decent people like yourself.
While the
issue is important in both public and private sectors, I'm thinking
that with the current financial climate, the private sector might be
looking to cut costs by bullying out more expensive staff and either
not replacing them or re-employing cheaper people.

It
is sad that the decent people with the power seem scared to raise their
heads above the parapet and get their houses in order.
For
weeks now many MPs have been shown to be acting out of self interest
rather than for the good of those they should be serving. (You will
have recognised the pity thing there I expect). There are many senior
people in education who share the same moral standards as those MPs. --
That should be worrying --> for many it won't be. Now that's even
more concerning is it not?

I asked "is Theo being bullied?" because your constant hassling for a response from Theo seems like a bullying behaviour to me. He can answer if he wants to. Obviously he does not want to. Instead he spends his time offering advice, guidance and support which is clearly valued by many people here (including me).
I think we get the point: you want Theo to respond. He has chosen not to. That doesn't mean the issue you raise is not important, it just means he has chosen not to contribute on this issue.It certainly doesn't mean he is "scared to raise [his] heads above the parapet and get their houses in order."
Enough! You have made your point. Let's talk about something else!